Hamlin Memories: Brockport Yacht Club

In 1905, the Brockport Yacht Club was incorporated with its purpose "to encourage yacht building and yacht racing, and to increase an interest therein."

Their clubhouse, built that same year, is still in use today, after surviving near-flooding and relocation.

The clubhouse was originally constructed on the lakefront west of Sandy Creek in Hamlin. The area was known by a number of names: Sunnyside Beach, Straight Lake and Sandy Harbor.

The building was a 21/2-story structure, 28 feet by 40 feet, with a large verandah built across the upper deck facing the lake. A "crow's nest" was located on the roof, and the structure was built so small boats could be stored underneath it.

John Gannon of Brockport was the contractor and the total cost was less than $1,500.

The clubhouse opened up to members on Sept. 22, 1905, with a clambake and a yacht race in inclement weather.

Over the next couple of years, the building was given a coat of white paint and furniture was added along with sleeping rooms and lockers on the second floor. The stairway was relocated to leave the lower floor open for dances and other events.

During this period, the lakeshore location was found to be inconvenient to boat owners because of no docking at this site. In April 1910, the club purchased a 200-foot by 200-foot lot on the west bank of Sandy Creek, near the lake.

This purchase came with the stipulation that "no liquor will be sold or offered for sale" on the new site.

Late in May, the clubhouse was placed on skids and moved southeast to its present location. A dock was added, along with a catwalk and slips for anchoring boats.

Other improvements followed, with the entire interior of the lower story sealed up and lockers added. During the 1920s, a culinary department was established so the club could host banquets and other events.

High lake levels during the 1940s and early '50s caused near-flooding as the creek rose to the floor of the clubhouse, and during the flooding of 1973, only a sandbagging effort by the club's members helped save the structure.

By 1966, the condition of the clubhouse became a major concern. Different options were studied. After a few years of careful consideration, the membership decided on an extensive remodeling effort to save the old structure. This included enclosing the second-floor porch and adding the current porch and a shower room.

To this day, members have taken an active role in the maintenance and preservation of their 107-year-old clubhouse.

The photograph, taken circa 1907, shows the clubhouse facing the lake before its move to Sandy Creek.

Today, one can view the building, now stained in Cape Cod gray with the initials "BYC" on the south side wall, as they drive west over Sandy Creek on the Lake Ontario State Parkway in the town of Hamlin.